Josh Kerr smashes one-mile world record and immediately earns huge bonus at Diamond League

Josh Kerr has broken the world record for the fastest one-mile run at the Diamond League in London.

The Brit ran 3:42.66 at the London Stadium on Saturday to overtake previous holder Hicham El Guerrouj by half a second.

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Kerr announced his plan to break the record back in March with what he called ‘Project 222’.

This relates to his aim of running a mile in 222 seconds or, as he went on to achieve, three minutes and 42 seconds.

The 28-year-old pumped his fist in the air once he crossed the finish line in front of a home crowd.

Kerr has also earned a $50,000 cheque for breaking the world record, which stood for 27 years in men’s athletics.

“I’m so happy for him, he’s such a nice guy,” said British athletics icon Dina Asher-Smith.

“And to break a world record in London, it’s just insane, that was an insane run.”

Saturday’s win is the latest monumental achievement for Kerr, who broke the British 1,500m record at the 2024 Olympics.

He ran 3:27.39 in the final in Paris, although could only take silver.

It has also added to an impressive year on the track as he took gold at World Indoor Championships.

This time around, he won the 3,000m race in Torun, Poland in March.

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“Overwhelming, very overwhelming,” he said to the BBC when asked for his thoughts on such a massive achievement.

“Obviously, with the amount of hype… it’s silly to call your shot that early because there’s a lot of things that can go wrong.

“But I’m surrounded by amazing people and was able to just continue staying consistent, put the work in.

“I felt like I had at least 3:42 in me. I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line.”

Kerr added: “I think if I’m to leave my mark on this sport as a British athlete with the legends I have behind me and follow in their footsteps, I have to be able to do those performances.

“Those performances take every single part of you, your team… I was just a body running, but the amount of work behind the scenes for me is incredible.”